Which of the following best distinguishes the assessment of somatic symptom disorders from dissociative disorders in clinical psychology?

• A. Somatic symptom disorder assessment primarily involves evaluating hallucinations, while dissociative disorder assessment focuses on delusions.
• B. Somatic symptom disorder assessment is based on personality inventories, whereas dissociative disorder assessment uses only projective tests.
• C. Both somatic symptom and dissociative disorder assessments rely exclusively on neuroimaging techniques.
• D. Somatic symptom disorder assessment focuses on physical symptoms without a medical explanation, while dissociative disorder assessment focuses on disruptions in identity, memory, or consciousness.

Answer: (D)

Verified step by step guidance

1. Step 1: Understand the core features of somatic symptom disorders, which primarily involve physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition. The assessment focuses on these physical complaints and their impact on the individual's functioning.
2. Step 2: Recognize that dissociative disorders are characterized by disruptions or discontinuities in identity, memory, consciousness, or perception. Assessment here targets these psychological and cognitive disruptions rather than physical symptoms.
3. Step 3: Differentiate the assessment tools and focus areas: somatic symptom disorder assessments emphasize evaluating the nature, severity, and impact of physical symptoms, often ruling out medical causes, while dissociative disorder assessments involve clinical interviews and psychological tests that explore memory gaps, identity disturbances, and altered states of consciousness.
4. Step 4: Note that hallucinations and delusions are not the primary focus in either disorder's assessment; these symptoms are more relevant to psychotic disorders, so options mentioning them are less accurate.
5. Step 5: Conclude that the best distinction lies in the focus of assessment—somatic symptom disorders center on unexplained physical symptoms, whereas dissociative disorders center on disruptions in psychological functioning such as identity and memory.